Hennie found himself on the streets after he lost his job six months ago. He built our vine baskets and enjoys building the structures for growing the beans.

He says, “I have a problem with alcohol abuse and find that working in the garden helps keep me busy – and then I don’t feel tempted to drink. My advice to other street people is to come and join me in the garden, to start the path to recovery.”

Oliver spent 18 months in the garden using the plant expertise that he learnt from his father while growing up. He is a master compost maker and helped with the daily running of the garden.

Oliver has left us to concentrate on his ethnic clothing business, Ollie’s Clothes. Look out for him at various markets in Somerset West and Cape Town this summer.

Patrick has volunteered at the garden for the past year. He has managed to find a weekly gardening job, which meant that he could move out of the Somerset West Night Shelter and into his own rented space.

He is a good worker and we are confident that he will find additional employment soon.

Six of our volunteers were offered a three-month contract in the construction industry, with the possibility of further employment.

They were required to possess a SARS number, a medical clearance certificate and an ID – time-consuming processes at the best of times, and especially difficult when one’s access to information and finances is hindered.

Thankfully, Vanessa Willis-Schoeman from the Helderberg Street People's Centre spent time with the gardeners helping to get them set up for the job.